Love or Money (15 page)

‘Okay. I'll come.'

‘Thanks Erin. Knew you would. And…' He paused. She wondered what was coming next. ‘Would you like to join the ladies at the shire hall on the day? Making sandwiches, serving drinks?'

‘Oh. Okay, fine.'

‘Fantastic. Knew you would. Gotta run. I'm going to be pretty busy for the next week or two. Till the protest day's behind us.'

‘Okay. Bye.' She hung up, letting her mind paint a loving picture. She works alongside a huddle of local ladies buttering mountains of bread. Afterwards, Hamish smiles down at her in the soft glow of the moon, then the warm feeling of his lips on hers. Would the first picture lead to the last one?

Todd Archer. Todd Archer. Night after night, the name burned in Hamish's brain as he tried to sleep. Mayor Dave had dropped the name days ago. Archer was the Bad Guy behind the plan to destroy the forests on Pembroke Hills. Too many times lately, Hamish remembered he'd heard it somewhere, perhaps met the guy. But where? Then, as he drifted into unconsciousness, it finally hit him. Todd Archer had been the guy dining with Erin Spenser and her mother at the Golden Dragon.

So he was actually a robber baron, plotting his next raid on the beautiful forests of the hills cradling Luna Bay. Maybe that was the reason behind his visit to The Bay? Maybe he'd come to recruit Erin to help him — the innocent-looking newcomer who could pass as one of the local community. Hamish replayed his meeting with Todd at the Golden Dragon, along with Erin and her mother. He'd watched them as he ate, noticed the guy's too-obvious lust for Erin. Locked into the body-language drama happening at the far table, Hamish had figured out the plot by the time he finished his meal.

The guy was trying to come onto Erin, spurred on by her mother, and Erin was rejecting him every way she knew how. He watched as the guy tried to slip an arm round her shoulders, watched as she flicked it away. He saw Erin's mother making gestures that shouted ‘why don't you two kiss and make up?' He watched Erin sigh, then concentrate on her chopsticks.

Hadn't Jenny dropped some word to Hamish recently, about Erin's past? Yeah. That Erin had told Jenny she enjoyed living at The Bay because it gave her some space away from a persistent ex who wouldn't give up.

In the small hours of Hamish's sleepless night, that disclosure now smashed through him like a lightning bolt. Todd Archer was Erin's ex! But how ex? Surely Erin couldn't have faked those loving moments with Hamish on the moonlit beach just to soften him up for her boyfriend's coming campaign? Could it be that the twosome had secretly got back together?

Archer had spent a weekend with Erin at her cottage. What might have happened during that weekend? Well, the too-painfully obvious, for starters. Hamish wrestled with the ugly revelation. He'd seen Todd and Erin leaving Sarah's arm-in-arm the morning after their Golden Dragon dinner. She'd acted embarrassed when Hamish had spotted them together, as if she wanted to hide the fact that they were once again an item.

From this moment onwards, Hamish would be on his guard around Erin Spenser. Lucky that the penny had dropped now, in the small hours, rather than after he'd shared confidential Green campaign stuff with Erin. Just hours after Honey's death, he'd begun to see Erin as a beautiful, sweet-natured woman. Someone who cared for him, felt his pain. From now on, he'd keep a professional distance from the woman he'd dreamed about during his nights in the forest. She could be a wolf in sheep's clothing. A spy. Or not. He'd play it very, very carefully.

Todd Archer sipped a single malt whisky as he sat on the balcony of his new penthouse watching the stars come out. A few weeks before, the beautiful Erin Spenser —
his
Erin Spenser — had stood at this very spot, taking in the sunset as its last rays kissed the glass facades of the city's high-rise jungle, turning the harbour waters to gold for fleeting seconds. He could tell she'd been gobsmacked by the view, though she'd made only polite comments when he pressed her for her reaction. He had to win her back. Only then would his life reach the perfection he'd aimed for since they'd met all those years before.

Helen Spenser knew her daughter better than Erin knew herself. Often, she'd told Todd that Erin was too flighty to know what she really wanted for her life and would come to her senses soon enough if Todd handled the situation with his usual mastery.

He must get her back to the penthouse, get her involved in planning the décor, all that girlie stuff. Inevitably, she'd fall in love with it, and him, all over again. But there was no way she'd make the trip if he merely asked her nicely. He'd have to go to Luna Bay, woo her in the good old-fashioned way. Faint heart never won fair lady. He'd put up with the long drive, the gaping country yokels. The pain would be worthwhile. Now for the detailed game plan. If he told her he was coming, she might disappear for the weekend just to escape him. Women have moods, as any man knows.

His arrival at Luna Bay would have to surprise her. A little before dinner, he'd show up on her doorstep, big bunch of flowers in hand, and get started on that good old-fashioned wooing. First, he'd whisk her away to an all-stops-out dinner. He'd check out likely places as he drove down the highway. There must be dozens of respectable restaurants all along that busy tourist route. If things played out well over dinner, a night at a nearby resort hotel would come next. Erin's ancient cottage, with its creaky iron bedstead, didn't set the right note for a weekend of lovemaking.

After his Friday lunch, Todd left his Sydney office for Luna Bay, checking that the gigantic bunch of roses he'd had delivered was safe on the back seat of his car. He looked forward to giving the Porsche a run on the open road — blow the cobwebs out of its fancy engine, and burn off a few other sporty cars in the process. As he neared Luna Bay, he'd stop off at one of the cute little resort towns and book a table at a decent restaurant. He pictured his arrival at Erin's place. He'd pull into the driveway of the decrepit cottage, give a couple of happy toots on the horn. When Erin came out to see what the noise was about, he'd give her a serious kiss, then pull the flowers from behind his back and put them into her astonished hands.

‘So glad you've come back to me, darling,' she'd whisper, and slip an arm round his waist. ‘I've missed you so. Would you like a glass of something? On the balcony?' Graciously, he'd accept, then fetch a bottle of decent white from the car fridge — a subtle way of communicating that his latest Porsche was fully equipped for romantic weekends away. Then, the dinner…

He turned the music up loud and sped down the beckoning open road. On the long straits, he let the beast have its head. Dollars to donuts, there wouldn't be any cops out in broad daylight on a clear stretch of highway. It was a risk worth taking. An hour before Luna Bay he detoured into a beachside town and found an acceptable restaurant at a resort hotel. He booked a table and the honeymoon suite, then rolled on down the highway.

Around five he pulled up outside the cottage and honked the horn — two cheery blasts. Then he slipped out of the car, collected the roses, and tucked them behind his back. A long minute later, the door opened. Erin came out, golden hair tied in a loose bun, wearing a stained blue T-shirt, jeans and bare feet. More remarkably, she carried a small boy on one hip.

‘Todd!' Her mouth dropped open. ‘What on earth —'

‘What's that…child doing here?' He hadn't expected a child.

‘Todd, meet Dwayne. Dwayne, this is Todd,' she said, still reeling. The man who stood close to her, staring, puzzled, was the guy she'd long ago consigned to the imaginary garbage bin labelled ‘Exes.' She braced herself for the stoush to come. ‘Why are you here, Todd?'

‘Because I…want to kiss and make up,' he ventured, eyeing Dwayne. ‘Didn't your mother tell you? It was her idea. Visit you on your home turf, she said. Make a fresh start.'

‘My mother? I spoke to her a couple of days ago. She said nothing about a visit from you.'

‘Sorry. I thought you knew I was coming.' It was only a modest lie, and it might help turn the tide for him. If there was a post-mortem, Helen would support him all the way.

‘Really?' Erin said. ‘I thought after our last time together, you'd finally got the message we'd broken up. Until the universe turns to dust — all that.'

‘No, darling,' he said. For once, he felt lost for words. He marshalled his self-control and flicked the obscene bunch of roses out from behind his back. Erin eased Dwayne to the ground and took the roses.

‘Thank you,' she said. ‘Now what?'

‘I thought…perhaps a nice dinner? Soonish? Then —'

‘Todd.' She spoke slowly, as if she were taking a backward child through a reading lesson. ‘We have broken up. We have called it a day. I suggested you look for someone else.'

‘I — Eri — there are things to talk about. Your lovely mother and I, we —'

‘Better come in, then.' The ghost of a smile flashed across her lips. As she scooped Dwayne up, he saw the little arms tighten round her neck.

‘Er…Dwayne. Does he have a mother? So we could…er…you could —'

‘No, since you ask.'

‘He doesn't have a mother?' A tumult of too-awful questions cascaded through Todd's brain. ‘You're not…you're not —'

‘Todd, we were together — if that's the right word — for six years. And I assure you, I didn't produce a secret love child on the side during those six fun-packed years.' She watched his face as he tried to solve the conundrum she'd put on the table. ‘Dwayne's mother died recently. A traffic accident. And I'm minding him until his father gets back to his office — a bit of emergency babysitting.'

She led Todd out to the veranda. ‘I'm due to take Dwayne back about now. Wait here for me. I accept your kind dinner invitation.' Accepting was the least she could do for her mother's peace of mind. ‘And that's all I accept.' The resigned look on his face showed her words had sunk in. ‘You'll probably find a beer in the fridge. Some wine maybe. Take a drink on the veranda. Relax.' Still carrying Dwayne, she found a vase for the roses, scooped up her car keys, and left the house. Todd, still struggling to regain his cool, headed for the fridge.

‘And how was Dwayne?' Hamish hugged his son as Erin handed him over.

‘An absolute angel. I'm going to miss him.'

‘I'm so glad to hear it.'

‘Do let me know if he needs a sitter again,' Erin said. Now she could admit that the little boy had won her heart — the chrome steel heart of a woman who a few months before had told Todd she could never have his babies. ‘I can hardly wait,' she said sincerely.

‘Thank you. We'll take you up on that.' Hamish looked at her, then at his watch. ‘I just had one of those great original ideas, straight from outer space. How about the three of us head for the Golden Dragon?'

‘I'd love to. But…prior arrangements.' After their night at the beach, she couldn't bring herself to tell him she'd agreed to a dinner with her ex. A blush flooded into her cheeks. She felt them burn, imagined the way they'd look to Hamish. She watched him react to the bucket of cold water she'd just thrown over him.

‘Good for you!' He applied a plastic grin that didn't hide the hurt in his eyes. ‘I didn't realise you'd organised a social life in Luna Bay already. Is he anyone I know?'

‘Um…have to run.' She skipped through the office doorway and into her car, cheeks still on fire.

As Hamish watched Erin drive away, the pain struck home. Erin Spenser. Erin Spenser. Why did he mouth her name so often — now, as well as in the mornings, in the sleepless small hours? He knew he'd been falling in love with her — slowly, irrevocably, since the moment she'd stepped into his office. It must be love, because he felt the hurt — deep, insistent — of knowing she'd just left him to be with another man. Well then, he'd just turn his back on her and get over it. They'd known each other for a measly few weeks. Love took longer than that to settle into place. Yet again, he'd fallen in love with the wrong woman. Felicity Hayward in his first year at university, then Megan Smythe — both cold, prickly females. Then Honey. Their years together had been a saga of pain that would take a lifetime to heal. The more he'd loved Honey, the more he'd suffered. Now Honey was gone. And Erin — a polar opposite to Honey — had filled the vacuum in his heart. He'd get over her, but it could take a while.

As he drove from his office with Dwayne in his baby seat, he found himself taking a detour past her cottage. He reached the gate, saw the Porsche parked outside, then turned and headed for home. So Erin would entertain a man that night. He'd have driven from Sydney, an old boyfriend, probably. Wait — Todd Archer! He remembered the growl of the Porsche from a few weeks before — the time Erin had introduced him to Todd. He'd promptly forgotten the name, of course.

So Mr Todd Porsche was the lucky guy. Naturally, he'd pay the occasional weekend visit. And she'd visit him in Sydney. The wonder was that they got together so rarely. He drove home kicking himself for his gullibility. A woman as attractive as Erin Spenser would have an army of guys chasing her. From now on, he'd be sure to keep his distance. The closer he came to her, the more he'd suffer. When he'd bathed Dwayne and put him to bed, he'd have a beer. Maybe two.

After dropping Dwayne off, Erin stopped at the store for a few essentials, then headed for home. Back at the cottage, she parked beside the Porsche, stepped inside and walked out to the veranda. Todd sat with a glass of wine in one hand, the bottle in the other. A second glass stood on the table beside him. As he saw her, he jumped up.

‘Eri!' He held her close, aimed a kiss at her lips. She turned aside and the kiss landed on her ear. He read the message, sat down. ‘Can I pour you a glass?' She nodded. ‘French. A nice little fumé blanc from Alsace. Brought it with me. A hundred dollars a bottle.'